According to multiple reports, the Minnesota Twins are bringing back Torii Hunter on a one-year deal worth $10.5 million. The long-time Minnesota outfielder might now end his career where it started.
The Cubs were briefly attached to Hunter earlier this offseason, but, as I said back then, he was always going to get too much money from an AL team to make sense for the Cubs. His defensive skills have eroded rapidly and deeply. He’s an AL guy now.
And he does still have a quality bat, which makes the signing not as crazy – in terms of the price tag – as some will have you believe. There’s always a premium for one-year deals, and there’s also a huge premium on bats with power right now. This is how it works for a guy who’s posted a wRC+ of at least 113 (that is, at least 13% better than average) in each of the last 9 seasons.
The Cubs are most frequently connected now to Jonny Gomes, in terms of part-time, veteran, right-handed outfield bats. He won’t cost nearly as much as Hunter.